BOSTON — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began easing flight restrictions at 6 a.m. today, bringing the national flight cancellation rate down to just 3%.
The move comes as airports continue to recover from the recent government shutdown, which caused a significant drop in the number of air traffic controllers reporting for duty due to unpaid back pay.
“It’s going to depend mostly on controllers,” said Tom Kinton, former CEO of Massport. “Will they get enough controllers back to safely handle the traffic? That’s a question, so I think that’s a wait-and-see right now.”
During the shutdown, reduced air traffic control staffing led to a 4% cut in air traffic, later rising to 6%. The staffing shortages also contributed to nearly 12,000 flight cancellations between November 7 and last Friday.
Citing safety concerns, the FAA first ordered flights reduced at the busy airports on Nov. 7 as absences mounted at air traffic facilities and airport towers. Controllers were among the federal employees who were required to work while going unpaid during the shutdown.
Cancellations peaked last Sunday at nearly 3,000 flights, about 10% of the ones scheduled, as a result of the FAA order combined with continued controller shortages and bad weather in parts of the country.
The nationwide shortage of controllers isn’t new, but the shutdown put a spotlight on the problem and likely made it worse. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that by the end of the shutdown, 15 to 20 controllers were retiring daily and some younger controllers were leaving the profession.
The FAA says it will closely monitor air traffic levels throughout the weekend to determine when normal operations can fully resume.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
